


Day 6 - "Get It Out" (6.1)

by fanfictiongreenirises



Series: Whumptober 2020 [6]
Category: DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Body Horror, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Gross, Horror, Hurt Dick Grayson, Jason Todd is Robin, blame gotham sewers, look idk how to tag this okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:42:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26853142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanfictiongreenirises/pseuds/fanfictiongreenirises
Summary: There's something moving underneath Dick's skin.No 6. PLEASE….“Get it Out”| No More | “Stop, please”
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne
Series: Whumptober 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947217
Comments: 40
Kudos: 167





	Day 6 - "Get It Out" (6.1)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!! Hope everyone's having a fun Whumptober =D
> 
> Warnings: some horror, living things under skin
> 
> Disclaimer: don't own DC ^~^

THIS FANFICTION IS HOSTED ON **ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN** , WHERE YOU CAN READ IT FOR **FREE**. IF YOU’RE READING THIS ON A DIFFERENT WEBSITE, IT WAS POSTED THERE **WITHOUT** THE AUTHOR’S CONSENT.

They’d gone to bed believing everything was fine. Bruce had checked in on Jason, who’d been wrapped up in a fuzzy dressing gown and curled up in a ball in bed. He’d been completely wiped out, and for good reason, too: trekking through Gotham’s sewage system was akin to wading through thick mud.

The gross factor definitely made things worse.

Bruce had turned on Jason’s nightlight, because Jason himself never admitted to needing it, but Bruce knew he preferred having it on. And then he’d gently closed the door and made his way down the hall to the room he’d heard Alfred mention that Dick was going to be crashing in.

It’d be the first night he’d be staying in the Manor since he’d become Nightwing. Bruce was still getting heart palpitations over it.

He waited outside the door, wondering whether he should pop his head in and check on Dick like he’d checked up on Jason, like he’d used to check on Dick before heading to bed.

Bruce stood in front of the door for a solid three minutes before he silently turned and headed back to his own. It wouldn’t do to stifle him. Dick wasn’t a kid anymore.

Bruce headed back to bed, despite the linger itch in his brain at the thought of not checking up on Dick. It wasn’t like anyone else in the house was exempt, because Alfred and Ace had been the first two that Bruce typically looked in on during his rounds.

He’d just left the bathroom and was about to settle in for sleep when there was a loud crash from somewhere in the Manor. Bruce waited, tense, knowing that it was probably just Jason (or even Ace) knocking something over in his sleep.

And then there was a secondary crash, and Bruce was running. He yanked open Jason’s door first – the closest – and was met with a groggy Jason peering at him, beginning to sit upright. There was nothing amiss in his room.

“B?” Jason called after him as Bruce ran towards the next door – Dick’s.

He didn’t know what he’d opened the door expecting to see, but Dick crouching with a box of what appeared to be dusty weapons – batarangs, mostly – was not it. He had one clutched in his hand, fingers tight enough around it that Bruce knew he was probably bleeding.

Dick’s head had jerked up when Bruce had entered. “B, you gotta get it out of me,” he said. His face was flushed, hair sticking to his temples.

Bruce found himself crouching opposite Dick, trying to gently pry the batarang out of his fingers. “What’s wrong?” he asked. The more he tried to remove it, the harder Dick seemed to grip.

“It’s in me,” Dick said with a grunt. “I can’t—you have to, B—”

“What’s in you?” Had he been hit with something, maybe? But when would that have happened – they’d been together the whole night. Bruce would’ve noticed.

Dick didn’t respond. Instead, he jerked out of Bruce’s hold and ran out the door.

“Dick?” came Jason’s small voice as Bruce leapt to his feet. “B? Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Bruce responded honestly, glancing at Jason. “Come on.”

Dick was evidently uncoordinated and off balance – there were bloody handprints on the walls where he’d headed down. Bruce followed them with a sinking feeling, already knowing where they were leading to.

The door to the Cave was ajar, something that none of them ever really did. Jason slipped in before Bruce could, racing down the staircase. Bruce followed after him, jumping down the stairs. He couldn’t see Dick anywhere.

“Bruce!” Jason yelled.

Bruce followed the sound of his voice, the dread in his stomach increasing when he found the two of them in the weapons room. Bracing himself for the worst, he entered.

Jason was crouched next to Dick’s still figure on the floor. He lay there in a crumpled pile, as though he hadn’t expected to be falling. Beside him was an escrima stick, still buzzing slightly.

Bruce felt for Dick’s pulse – it was still there, and only slightly high. “What happened?” he asked Jason, whose face was ashen.

“He _zapped_ himself with it,” Jason said, glancing up at Bruce with wide eyes.

Bruce grunted a little at his words. There had to be a reason Dick went for electricity rather than a more brutal weapon, like a knife. The voltage wasn’t even at the highest it could’ve been at, indicating that he hadn’t wanted to… well, that it wasn’t for anything permanent.

Bruce slid an arm around Dick’s shoulders, sitting him upright before he gathered him up at the knees and stood slowly. Dick was probably about as light as he’d been the last time Bruce had had to carry him.

Jason ran ahead as Bruce walked to the medbay, placing his charge down carefully. Jason had the monitors ready, hooking up Dick’s pulse and blood pressure to it. Immediately, Bruce could see an issue.

“His BP’s really high,” Jason commented, chewing on his lip.

Dick stirred slightly on the bench, eyes moving beneath the lids. Bruce shook his shoulder gently.

“Dick?” he said. “Wake up, chum. You’re alright.”

There was a look of confusion as Dick opened his eyes groggily, bringing up a hand to rub at them. “What…” he began to say, before the memory evidently hit him – his breathing picked up, as did his pulse.

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Bruce tried to say as soothingly as possible. “We think you’ve been—”

“No, B, it’s _in me_.” Dick grabbed Bruce by the forearm, fingers digging into Bruce’s flesh as he tried to convey his thoughts. “I can feel it. It’s _moving_.”

And then, to Bruce’s horror, he _saw_ it. A long lump beneath Dick’s skin, almost like a centipede, was travelling from his upper arm and into his chest. Opposite him, Jason let out a muffled noise as he stared.

“Shirt off,” Bruce said, all business now. “Was your skin pierced anywhere?”

Dick shook his head, breaths coming in faster and faster.

“Why’d you electrocute yourself?” Jason asked. On the other side of the cot, and in the glare of the white lights overhead, he looked even smaller, even more like the child he was.

“I…It stopped it,” Dick said. “It doesn’t like it.”

It _wriggled_ , and Dick barely held in a whimper of pain, knuckles clutching the railings of the bed. It was around his collarbone now.

“Jay, get the defibrillators ready,” Bruce said, and Jason hurried to comply.

Bruce tried to trap it, holding down the skin around it. Dick’s skin stretched to accommodate for it, but Bruce winced at how it must feel to—

The lump disappeared. Even Dick, who’d been craning his neck trying to watch, seemed surprised. Bruce was about to say something when Dick let out a sharp yell and threw his head back into the pillow, back arching off the bed.

“Dick?” Bruce held Dick’s shoulders down, trying to keep him from thrashing around. “Jason!”

“Here,” Jason said breathlessly.

Bruce hoisted Dick upright, and Jason pressed the pads down onto Dick’s back, on the right side. Dick jerked in Bruce’s hold, fingers tightening where they clutched onto Bruce’s upper arm, and then he went limp, breathing out in one solid exhale.

“Status report?” Bruce said.

Dick took in a shuddering breath. “It, uh, it went _through_ me… when you tried to keep it from moving,” he said. “It’s stopped now.”

Bruce found himself rubbing Dick’s shoulder in soothing circles as he said, “Can you tell where it is now?”

Dick hesitated, then nodded. “Right near my third rib.”

Jason glanced up at Bruce. “Are we gonna be cutting into him to get it out?” he asked.

Bruce nodded grimly.

**Author's Note:**

> (yes the creature is inspired by the worm thing in supernatural 6x16)
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! This also has a sequel, which will be out for Day 11 =D
> 
> This has been [cross-posted on tumblr](https://fanfictiongreenirises.tumblr.com/post/631207738089865216/day-6-get-it-out)


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